Step 3 To Creating Positive Change In Your Brain

When my clients begin a program of self-development or personal growth one of the first questions is often:
“How long until I see results?”

Whether it’s losing weight, changing a negative habit, learning to meditate, or building a business, part of you wants to know how much time and effort it’s going to take. You want to see results as fast as possible and you might not believe in your new possibility until you see some results.

So, how long does that take?

The answer is it takes as long as you need until your action becomes effortless.

Effortlessness is Step 3 in the F.E.E.D. process described by John B. Arden in his book “Rewire Your Brain.”

We are creatures of habit and we generally follow the path of least resistance. The ways you’ve been doing things are well-worn paths in your body and brain. It’s easy to keep doing things the same way, even if they don’t give you the results you desire.

As we talked about yesterday in Step 2, you’re going to have to make repeated extra efforts to create something different from what you’ve been doing. You create new neural networks, new neuromuscular pathways, and new mental-emotional patterns through repeated effort with strongly focused attention.

At a certain point, that repetition reaches a “tipping point” where you’ve grooved your new habit. This is the crossover into effortlessness.

In the Chinese practice of qigong meditation it’s said that, if you practice every day for 100 days, you’ll reach that crossover point. Qigong is then a part of your life and continued practice becomes easier to maintain. At this point, you can shift your focus from “just doing it” to deepening the quality, subtlety, and enjoyment in your practice. More about that tomorrow in Step 4.

So, if you’re in the midst of getting something new going in your life. Hang in there. Stick with it. It’s going to get easier. If you fully engage in what you’re doing and repeat your effort often enough, you’ll arrive at effortless flow.

Enjoy your practice,
Kevin

Kevin Schoeninger

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about the powerful meditation practice of Qigong, Click Here